Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Greek Burdens Mount as Immigrants Use Back Door to EU

Bloomberg Businessweek
January 3, 2011

Greece, battling to keep its economy from ruin, also is struggling with an increase in the number of asylum seekers using the country as a back door to Europe.

About 90 percent of illegal immigrants in the European Union arrived through Greece, according to Warsaw-based Frontex, the bloc’s agency for border security. At least 350 people try to cross into northeastern Greece from Turkey each day, Deputy Labor Minister Anna Dalara said yesterday.

All that’s wrong with Greece’s tax collection, state-run companies and pension system was laid bare this year as the country turned to the International Monetary Fund and EU for a 110 billion-euro ($146 billion) rescue. The country also lags behind other EU members in dealing with asylum seekers and Human Rights Watch this month described conditions at some detention centers as inhumane.

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